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Between 41-54% of Indian marketing leaders say that they have completely changed their marketing strategy in key areas, due to the pandemic. This includes areas like digital engagement, channel mix, data management, content, and organisation. 

This is stunning, and shows that the new normal in 2022 will look very different from 2019.

Here’s how:

Real-time customer engagement needs real-time data visibility

Real-time customer engagement was found to be a top priority for the 300 marketing leaders surveyed from India. This is in line with the rising customer preference for relevant and hyper-personalised marketing communication across channels. 

To achieve such 1:1 engagement, marketers will need instant visibility into customer data to know what their audience wants and when. This means understanding, quickly and at a granular level, customer preference, location, purchase history, prior brand interactions, and buying stage, among other things.

The solution can be found in customer data management platforms that unify all of the customer data for a single, unified view of each customer profile. Such a platform offers real-time cross-channel insights, allowing you to analyse and adapt engagement strategies in the moment.

Cohesive journeys call for cross-functional sync

When it comes to building cohesive customer journeys across channels and consumer devices, a lack of organisational synchronisation can be a big challenge. Inaccessibility to customer data lying with the different departments (sales, service, and marketing) prevents marketers from tracing customer touchpoints and interactions end-to-end. Result? Siloed efforts and fractured customer journeys. 

To build cohesive customer journeys, ensure that teams and departments work together as a single, dynamic entity. If the company’s workflows or policies are not set up for this, a suitable amount of restructuring may be required to allow cross-team collaboration and role-based access to cross-functional data. The customer data resting on all other systems, devices, and applications in a company – whether in the cloud or on-premise – needs to be integrated and unified as well. 

From a technology standpoint, organisations can adopt an integrated CRM solution that brings all the relevant customer data from across the organisation on a single platform. Look for a solution that also enables smooth API-based integrations with third-party data sources.

Improved marketing ROI lies in data analytics upskilling

41% of Indian marketers have completely revamped their organisational priorities this year. And as part of this narrative, they are particularly focused on improving marketing ROI. But to drive improved ROI, marketing teams must be adequately equipped to make informed decisions and strategies. 

B2B and B2C companies have reserved 20% and 12% of their marketing budgets respectively, for upskilling of teams. Some part of these budgets can be used for much-needed training in state-of-the-art marketing tools and technologies such as data visualisation and AI-enabled analytics. Such an upskilling will help marketing teams use the right tools and interpret data to leverage the right opportunities and continuously improve performance as they, among other things,

• Avoid vanity metrics
• Use actionable metrics to inform decisions
• Try innovative marketing campaigns
• Perform A/B testing on campaigns
• Identify the most effective marketing channel(s)
• Analyse market and customer sentiment

Getting collaboration right to overcome marketing challenges

Working remotely has changed the way teams collaborate, and boosting efficiency in times of remote collaboration remains a top priority.

Marketing is a creative field that requires rigorous brainstorms and a continuous exchange of ideas, creating the need for regular, seamless collaboration. Since the pandemic’s early days, marketers have ramped up the use of collaboration platforms to digitalise workflows and build digital-first teams. But the employee response to virtual collaborations has been a mix of ‘completely satisfied’ and ‘not working out for me’. 

As hybrid working becomes the norm, standalone collaboration platforms for instant messaging, emails, content management, project updates, etc. will no longer work. A single, robust collaboration platform that enables seamless and secure real-time communication and information search-share-retrieval is the need of the hour. 

Fuelling innovation with accelerated use of marketing tools and technologies

Outdated marketing tactics will not only fail to attract new customers but also frustrate the existing ones, leading to high attrition rates. 

For a customer to appreciate the ‘newness’ in marketing communication and feel compelled to try a brand, the entire marketing mix will require an upgrade. The 4 Ps – product, price, promotion, and place – will need a pumped-up strategy. This calls for quick and easy access to data, metrics, and insights that trace all selling initiatives – from pre-sales to post-sales. The end-to-end visibility will enable contextual, relevant interactions and one-to-one personalisation at scale, contributing to business growth.

Both B2B and B2C sectors have pledged 17% of their total marketing budgets to deploy tools and technology. This should include tools and technologies that:

• unify all customer-related data
• gather market intelligence
• offer AI-enabled analytics
• come with intuitive dashboards
• are cloud- and mobile-first

So as we look towards 2022, what should we be focusing on, and prioritise? The simple answer is start with your customer. 89% of customers in India expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations, so ensure that this is your guiding light.

Introduction

Customer service is not just about being cordial to and helping your customers when they are making a purchase. Customer service includes everything a company does to smoothen customer experience before, during, and after sales.

Good customer service delights customers, and sets businesses apart from their competition. The better your customer service is, the stronger retention and brand loyalty you can build.

For this, it is important to establish good customer service management practices, processes, and teams that make customers feel valued.

What is customer service management?

Customers service management is the aspect of any business that looks after nurturing customer relationships beyond sales. It is also called customer experience management, as customer service is the accumulation of experiences created by one-on-one interactions between customers and company representatives. Providing the right information and support during such interactions is crucial to increasing customer satisfaction, ensuring repeat business and advocacy.

Why customer service management is important?

Customer service management makes doing business with you more convenient and helps you continuously improve customer support. This is more important than ever as today’s customers have access to varied knowledge and choices, making it easier for them to switch to competitors that may be offering better service than your company.

As companies and their customer bases grow, developing processes and systems that streamline how customer information and requests are managed is important. This requires building strategies that can guide your customer service management. Adopting the right customer service management software can also make managing customer expectations easier, and enable digital-first services.

Types of customers

Customer service management is all about understanding your customers and their needs and fulfilling them in the best way possible. The first step here is to get to know your customers. Here are common customer types you need to know about:

1. The potential customer or prospect – is the one who shows interest in your offerings and resembles your ideal customer persona. They spend time on your website, browsing through product or FAQ pages, to gather information about your offerings. Technically, they’re not your customer yet but can be converted into a paying customer with some nurturing. They need to see the value you can provide and how your offerings are better than others in the market.
2. The novice buyer – may be buying from you for the first time, and the first impression you create with them can determine if they will buy from you again. Since they are new and not fully aware of your offerings, they may need extensive attention initially – whether it is regarding the buying process or post-sales support. Follow a proper onboarding process and tell them how to use your products properly. This will ensure they get the most value out of your products and return for more.
3. The loyal ones – are buyers who have been around for a while and are the most likely to recommend your brand to others. They know their way around the buying process and your offerings. They should never feel unrecognised or ignored. While they may not let go of you after one bad experience, make it your company’s utmost priority to offer loyal buyers the best of everything. In fact, try and get their feedback whenever possible. You can use this information to improve your products and services and replicate the factors that make their experiences good to win more loyal customers.
4. The impulsive buyer – makes quick decisions and doesn’t need much convincing. If they have paid your website or app a visit, chances are they will not leave without buying. But they will retract a purchase as quickly as they decide to make it in the first place. Make the buying process as easy, convenient, and short as possible, as impulsive buyers are characterised by impatience too. They are good candidates for occasional cross- and upselling. If the additional products or services you suggest better suit their needs, they will appreciate your active involvement in helping them make better purchasing decisions.
5. The sceptical customer – is afraid of buying the wrong products or falling for deals that may look good but aren’t. They take the time to do thorough research and sometimes even miss out on great offers due to their indecisiveness. They reconsider purchases till the very moment they press ‘pay’. The key is to win their trust with prompt, reliable customer service. They are more likely than most other customer types to reach out for help. When they do, avoid being pushy. Instead, focus on establishing value and addressing factors that are keeping them from making a final decision.
6. The researcher – is a type of customer that is highly aware. They already know your company and offerings fairly well. It is very likely that they have compared your products or services against those offered by your competitors. They know what they want and have high expectations. It is imperative to be straightforward and honest with this customer type. If you don’t have something this customer is looking for, admit it and offer a practical solution. Once you win them over, they become the most loyal customers.
7. The discount chaser – is always looking to get the most value out of everything they buy. If they are reaching out to you, they are already interested in your product or service but are looking for attractive deals. You can attract them with a discount or offer, but also help them see the additional value you can offer to keep them coming back.
8. The angry bird – is someone who may have had an unsavoury experience with your company or generally doesn’t react well to even minor inconveniences. While it is important to call out misbehaviour, customer service agents can lend them an empathetic ear. Try to calm them down without being condescending. The sooner you get to the root of their problem, the easier it is to steer the conversation to a fruitful end for all.

Customer service management tips to follow in 2022

Here are a few customer service management tips that are sure to increase customer satisfaction levels:

Tip #1: Hire people with skills and qualities that match your business’ needs

Processes and systems are important, but the quality of customer service you provide is largely determined by the people who run that front. It is great when service agents can speak well or are tech-savvy. But service team members need soft skills as well – like empathy, active listening, patience, etc. – to connect and communicate effectively with customers.

Tip #2: Clearly define roles and responsibilities within service teams

Broadly, customer service teams are responsible for handling interactions that have to do with managing service requests, case resolution, and answering queries. But service cases can be of various types and come in from multiple channels like email, live chat, calling, etc. Assigning specific roles and responsibilities among the right team members ensures customers are attended to at the soonest by the best-suited agents. It also prevents duplication of efforts and keeps service cases from falling through the cracks.

Tip #3: Enable communication and coordination with other departments

Service teams handle all kinds of customer interactions, and many of these are sales and marketing-related. Use a system that enables data share across functions and enables service teams to easily connect with other departments. This can drastically improve service quality, particularly when working on complex cases.

Tip #4: Follow a customer service philosophy

Create customer service mantras that your service team can swear by. Saying “customers always come first” or “fast service is good service” may sound obvious. But customer service management is much more than just ensuring customers’ needs are addressed when they reach out to you. It is a way to really show what your company stands for and how you intend to build stronger customer relationships. When you reinforce this across the team, it becomes a guiding philosophy to deal with different types of customers.

Tip #5: Equip your service team with useful tools and technologies

Customer needs and expectations will continue to change. As your company grows, you also need to scale quality customer service. Provide your service team with tech solutions that make their job easier. For instance, Service Cloud puts all the necessary tools and customer data service teams need at their fingertips. All cases, from any customer service touchpoint, are queued and assigned to the most appropriate agent. The agent has a unified view of all data they need as well as knowledge articles – all on one console – so they can quickly and accurately respond to customers without having to toggle between multiple screens. So, customers’ wait time is drastically reduced and their issues can be resolved the first time they reach out.

Keep your current customers for a lifetime

It is known that keeping customers costs lesser than acquiring new ones – almost 5-10 times less. To ensure customers stick around with your company for longer, customer service management should focus on –

• Building and following strategies that help retain existing customers. For instance, you can start a loyalty or reward programme to provide more value to regular customers.
• View customer complaints as opportunities to learn from. Showing customers that addressing their complaints is a priority for your business through prompt responses, first-time case resolution, and proactive follow-ups can help repair perceptions and build loyalty.
• Deliver consistent, continuous engagement to foster quality customer relationships. Nurturing is useful in identifying signs of dissatisfaction and opportunities to grow your relationship with customers.

Our perspective paper shows the path to make data trustworthy for digital transformation and regulatory compliance.

ris Software brings fresh perspectives on how businesses could benefit from incorporating data lineage principles in their digital transformation initiatives. “Data lineage helps data stewards execute impact analysis for changes in transformation initiatives, identify trace data issues and improve data quality,” according to our newly released perspective paper titled “Can Your Data be Trusted.”

Trusted data is critical for digital transformation initiatives, and such trust is established with lineage, the paper asserts. The explosion of data and data sources has made it essential for businesses across the spectrum to implement solutions to trace the lineage of their data. Data & Analytics service providers could identify the right strategies to achieve those goals.

The paper highlights six key areas that businesses stand to benefit by implementing effective data lineage solutions: enhanced governance, cost optimization, digital transformation, effective impact analysis, improved data quality and easier regulatory compliance.

Effective data lineage is critical to ensure that data assets are always trustworthy, traceable and properly cataloged to ensure that they are effectively used. There is no single software or technology that can achieve data lineage. It needs a comprehensive solution as the paper explains.

We have leveraged our deep experience in working with leading data governance and data lineage platforms to identify the right tools and technologies to achieve effective data lineage.